


Invitation

by zaffrenotes



Series: Blades - Modern/College AU [1]
Category: Blades of Light and Shadow (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Flirting, Friends With Benefits, Male-Female Friendship, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27362914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaffrenotes/pseuds/zaffrenotes
Summary: Mal and (MC) Rin see each other at the start of their senior year of college
Relationships: Mal Volari/Main Character (Blades of Light and Shadow)
Series: Blades - Modern/College AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998559
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Mal Volari, Resident Advisor and Super Senior, absolutely loved the first few weeks of the Fall semester. The free housing for a single dorm, discounted tuition, and financial stipend were worth coming up with ways to get his residents to bond and learn new things, and serving as a glorified hall monitor to handle day-to-day issues around underclassmen. His favorite part of being an RA was moving into the dorms during Freshman Orientation and getting to know the new coeds. Last year it afforded him a few extra days to flirt with Rin, who moved into her dorm early thanks to her campus job.

Rin Lenoire – Rinduineth was reserved only for her parents, who met in an online book club during a Lord of the Rings review – started a year after he did, but they’d be seniors together. She was an overachieving double major that took summer classes to maximize credits; he’d been indecisive on declaring a major and needed to load up on required courses. They met at a frat party, when he needed a backup partner for a round of Flip Cup. She swayed into position next to him, like a tipsy willow tree, complete with a green top and brown leather pants. After demolishing their opponents with surprising speed, they spent the rest of the party dancing, flirting, and drinking. The night ended with a memorable makeout session in a gazebo before escorting her back to her dorm.

She’d smile and wave to him on campus, and they’d stop to chat if they weren’t heading to class. They saw more of each other off campus at various parties, establishing a familiar pattern of dancing, drinking, and flirting. Many kisses were exchanged – in empty bedrooms at the party house, on pool tables, on campus benches while sobering up – though never in either of their respective rooms on campus. Despite their numerous encounters, his memories of her were hazy, thanks to the blurry curtain from too many drinking games. He could remember the scent of her shampoo – lavender when it was warm, something with vanilla when it was cold – and the spot on her neck that would make her whimper in his ear, every time he nibbled on her skin.

They were more than friends, but not quite friends with benefits. A chase this long usually made Mal lose interest; there were a number of women he admired, and more that admired him. As each semester passed, he found his eyes wandered less, choosing to focus on Rin whenever the opportunity arose. Last year they finally exchanged numbers and texted often, and he dared to believe that he’d forged a friendship with her.

Now, they were half a week into Orientation; just yesterday transfer students settled in. There was still another week of activities and events scheduled before enduring the chaos of move-in day for the rest of the student body. Being a Saturday, nothing was planned, other than Mal being on duty for Undermount Hall. Since it was an upperclassman building, he was working on his tan on the Concrete Beach – a wide walkway between Undermount and Colaris Halls. He’d just woken up from a catnap, when he noticed a familiar figure on the opposite end of the beach.

Rin was laid out on a towel next to a redhead, the pair of them on their stomachs as they flipped through a magazine. Mal adjusted his mirrored aviators to watch them, tilting his head back against the lawn chair he was seated in, pretending to doze off once more. His eyes followed her as she got up and walked into Colaris Hall. She emerged a few minutes later, carrying popsicles in her hands. Mal felt his mouth go dry.

He watched as Rin nibbled and licked at the lemon shark popsicle in her hand, while her friend worked on a Hello Kitty bar. Hello Kitty finished first, and the ladies chatted about something, resulting in Rin sitting up and crossing her legs as she finished her popsicle. Hello Kitty kneeled behind her and began braiding Rin’s hair, and Mal felt his skin tingle.

Mal secretly loved it when Rin would wear her hair up. There was something about the long, slender lines of her neck and the angles of her shoulders that he found irresistible. Aside from having easier access to the tender spots of her neck that made her sigh his name like an offering to the heavens, she somehow held herself with more confidence whenever her hair was up, or pulled back from her face. Topknots. Braided pigtails. High, messy buns. Loose side braids. Last Halloween when she dressed up as Lagertha and spent nearly the whole day working in intricate braids into her hair before the Delta party, he nearly pulled her into the pantry when they passed each other in the kitchen. She teased that this year she’d go as Danaerys if he committed to a decent Khal costume.

He rarely had a crush on anyone - most of the time he was the object of affection, a position he rather enjoyed. But there was something different about Rin. He wondered what it would be like to spend the night with her, without the haze of alcohol to dull their senses or cloud their memories. While he often wondered about exploring the parts of her that had – unfortunately – remained covered through all their encounters, a larger part of him just wanted to wake up next to her and look into her eyes in the morning light. It was thoroughly unnerving.

Lost in thought, Mal jerked to attention at the sound of his name from a familiarly pleasant voice. “If it isn’t Mal the Magnificent.”

He could see the smirk on Rin’s taunting lips before opening his eyes, mentally grinning in victory when he looked up to see her smirking as she stood over him. Peering above the frames of his sunglasses, he admired the braid that Hello Kitty styled in Rin’s raven locks, and his heart beat a little faster when he saw the sparkle in her eyes, noticing that she wasn’t wearing a drop of makeup. “Welcome back, Rin,” he grinned up at her and pushed himself out of the chair to stand up. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Nia,” Rin answered. “She’s a transfer student and lives a few doors down from me.” She ticked her head back, over her shoulder. “In Colaris Hall.”

Mal extended a hand to Hello Kitty Nia and they shook hands in greeting. “Pleasure to meet you, Nia. I’m Mal Volari, and I just happen to live over here in Undermount Hall.” He ticked his head and eyebrows towards the building behind him. “You know,” he continued, shifting his gaze back to Rin, “there’s a connecting passage between the buildings, just below us. In case you ever feel like visiting a friend.” He noticed the corners of Rin’s mouth twitch in an effort not to grin back at him.

“But I just met you! I don’t even know you!” Nia gasped with surprise.

Mal bit his tongue to keep from laughing. “That might have been aimed at me,” Rin answered. The apples of her cheeks began to color. “And it’s something I’ll keep in mind, for the future,” she added, winking at Mal.


	2. Inked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal finds Rin at the college carnival

Mal strolled down campus walk, eyes moving from one booth to another. It was a warm August afternoon, and the annual College Carnival was well underway. It was an event held every year before the official start of the semester, when student groups and local businesses filled tents along some of the main pathways until they reached The Circle, promoting local services, clubs, and everything in between. Several days had passed since Mal ran into Rin at the Beach, and while she dropped by his room a handful of times, all her visits had happened during the day, usually with Nia.

He didn’t mind Nia’s company – she seemed like a sweet girl, if not a little sheltered from living at home while she went to a school closer to home. He could tell that she had an adventurous spirit; if anyone could coax it out of her, Rin was the right person to befriend. He was about to pull away from the foot traffic to look at the tapestry booth when he heard someone call out his name.

“Mal! Mal!” Mal turned his head and noticed Nia waving at him from a booth across the way. He waved back and scanned the crowd separating them for a gap, weaving and dodging his way through other students until he’d made his way to Nia’s booth.

“Enjoying the fair?” He slid his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head, and gave Nia a friendly smile.

“It’s wonderful! Who knew there were so many different student groups?”

“There’s a little something for everyone.”

“Can you do me a favor? I’ve got to get to a meeting with my new advisor, but I don’t want to leave Rin in case she needs help.”

“Help with what?” Mal looked around the booth they were in, slowly putting pieces together before Nia could respond.

Tables were set up all around them, with members from one of the art clubs, applying temporary tattoos on students. Some were the stick on type, usually pre-printed from members of the art club; others were using paint to swirl colorful vines and tribal designs on shoulders and arms.

“She might need help with her things, or just getting around the rest of the fair. We got henna at one of the other booths,” she replied, holding up her hand to Mal to show off the starry design on the back of her hand. “It’s dry, but we’re not supposed to smear it or wash it off for a couple hours, so it stains the skin underneath.”

“Okay,” Mal hummed back. “So you need me to…?”

“Stay with Rin until they’re done, and help her back into the building, I guess?” Nia gathered up her things into a small knapsack. “She got henna all over her fingers, instead of picking one spot.” Nia’s cheeks began to flush, and she smiled bashfully at him.

Mal grinned softly at her. “I’ve got you covered,” he replied. “Don’t keep your advisor waiting.”

“You’re the best!” Nia started walking off. “I owe you one!”

Mal waved again as Nia disappeared into the throng of people, before turning to look for Rin inside the small tent. His eyes locked in on her long, dark hair as she chatted with the student working on her. “A little bird told me you might want some company,” he hummed into her ear.

Rin turned her head to the side and smiled at him. “Possibly. Depends on the company.”

“And if I were that company?”

She grinned softly at him before averting her eyes, turning back to the work being done on her wrist. “I would be amenable to such an offer.”

The student working on painting the design on her wrist scoffed lightly, and a tendril of his hair fell loose. “You two ought to just find a room,” he mumbled.

“Ty, be nice.” Rin looked at the young man with a look of warning.

“My name is Tyril, not Ty, Rind-“

“Do not use my given name, Tyril,” Rin shot back. The warning in her voice sounded serious, but there was a shy grin across her lips.

“Should I leave and let the two of you find a room instead?” Mal crossed his arms, feeling oddly protective of Rin. He wanted to get her away from Tyril, for no other reason than to have her attention to himself, rather than vying for it from the extremely tall, attractive Art major who had his hand curled around her wrist. He watched as Tyril set down his airbrush and turned her wrist, eyeing the ink, before releasing his grasp on her. “Hey, watch the—”

“Henna, I know, Mal.” Tyril rolled his eyes at Mal and picked up a small container and a brush. After opening the container, Tyril gently tapped the brush in its contents, and tapped it lightly against Rin’s skin onto the paint.

Mal grinned as Tyril applied a layer of glitter to Rin’s tattoo before peeling away the stencil, revealing a tiny creature. “Well would you look at that,” he smirked. “A kit.”


	3. Impetus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orientation week ends with a concert, and something new begins with Mal and Rin.

Mal rushed around the small space of his room, toothbrush in his mouth while he paused to swipe deodorant under his arms. He tossed the stick on his dresser and rushed back into the bathroom to spit out the foam in his mouth, before taking a swig of mouthwash and tilted his head to the ceiling to gargle. After dabbing lightly around his mouth and beard, he tossed the used hand towel on a hook and walked back into his room, zipping up the fly of his jeans.

He stared at himself in the mirror, pulling up half his hair with a small hair elastic; it was a balmy summer evening, but it would feel much warmer inside the event hall later. He glanced over to the shirts on his closet door; a button down shirt with a bold print and an understated v-neck hung next to each other on hangers. He glanced back down at the array of products on his dresser – hair putty, styling wax, beard grooming kit, scented and unscented beard oils, facial moisturizers and toners he joked about keeping on hand for overnight guests but were part of his eight step skincare routine – and plucked a deep teal glass bottle from a small set of colognes. He pressed the nozzle to spritz a light mist of cologne to either side of his neck, with a final hearty spray to the center of his chest.

He pulled a pair of well-worn black leather boots from his closet and sat on the edge of the bed to lace them up, folded the cuff of his jeans over them, and glanced at the clock. He should’ve left ten minutes ago, but needed time to himself in the shower when he got an alert from Rin’s Picta page, and he gawked at the selfie she’d posted with Nia. They were dressed in plunging neon tops, looking like they were about to head to a club, instead of a concert on campus while it was still light out.

He needed to remain calm and in control, knowing he’d run into her at some point before the night was over.

_The other day after the carnival, they walked through the booths together. Rin claimed the tattoo on her wrist was a full grown fox and not a kit like Mal had implied, but there was no way she could hide the way the color flushed her cheeks and neck the rest of the afternoon. They flirted playfully until they reached their buildings, and Mal offered to walk her through his building and under the pass if she couldn’t get to her keys because of the henna on her hands._

_She simply bit her bottom lip and grinned at him, leaning against the back of a pillar. “Or you could pull the keychain from my back pocket for me.”_

_He leaned towards her, placing a hand on the pillar to steady himself. Eyes locked on hers, he grinned and lightly ran his fingers down her arm. Despite the warm weather, a trail of goose flesh appeared where his skin grazed hers, and he tucked his thumb into the waistband of her jeans against her hip. With a small gasp, Rin closed the distance between their lips and kissed him. His fingers dug into her skin, and he felt her arch her back and tilt her hips towards him; his other hand moved from the smooth surface of the pillar to cup the side of her face, threading his fingers into her hair. He kissed her back with fervor, and the only sounds between them were the soft noises their lips made when they parted and joined again._

_She still tasted of the cherry soda she bought at the student union, because none of the food vendors carried it. Her tongue slipped into his mouth as they deepened their kiss, and he wanted nothing more than to grab the back of her thighs and feel her legs around his waist. He would have taken her against the pillar if he could have._

_As his unfortunate luck would have it, whatever they’d started came to an abrupt end when one of the building doors slammed open, and a handful of students walked out. They jeered at Mal and Rin, whose face quickly turned bright red, and she grinned bashfully while shrugging her shoulders at the onlookers._

_A straggler with the group clicked the locking mechanism on the door, leaving it wide open for her, and Mal sighed with resignation. “Looks like I don’t need to come to your aid this time.” He tucked his hair behind his ear and smiled softly at her._

_“Maybe one day you will,” she offered, mirroring his actions. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and shrugged one shoulder as she passed him, heading towards the door. Just as Mal took a step towards the steps to leave, Rin turned on her heels and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing a sweet kiss to his lips. “Look for me at the concert tomorrow night.” She kissed him again before letting go, and ran into her building._

Mal pulled the plain v-neck off its hanger and slipped it on, gathering the rest of his things and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans. He locked his door and slipped his keys into a pocket, heading to the stairwell and made his way outside.

He was halfway to the Great Hall when he noticed Tyril and Imtura ahead of him by a few yards. It was impossible not to notice the pair of them together, as they towered over the rest of the student body. Small groups of students were all headed in the same direction to attend a free concert as part of Welcome Weekend. He quickened his pace just shy of breaking into a jog when he noticed Rin and Nia were with them. Despite being several inches shorter, Nia kept up alarmingly well with the other three, as if she was gliding along with them.

Mal weaved through students, but the distance seemed to increase the more he tried to catch up. He exhaled hard through his nose and shook his head at himself, and began to jog. “ **Okay, if you could all walk slower, that’d be great** ,” he huffed, finally catching up to the foursome.

“Hey you,” Rin smiled.

Mal stumbled over his feet as he took in Rin’s outfit, moving quickly to catch up again. Instead of the neon top he remembered her wearing in the photo earlier, she was in a pair of fitted jeans and a vibrant navy top; the front of it plunged to a flirty v-neck but was nowhere near as revealing as the other top, but her back was exposed, save for criss-crossed strips of the same fabric. Beside her, Nia was in a plum dress. “You uh, you look nice,” he said, offering her a small smile.

“Oh, who invited the minion?”

“Hi to you too, Imtura.” Mal rolled his eyes at what passed for a greeting from Imtura.

“Volari.”

“Tyril.” Mal’s voice took on a mocking tone when he greeted Tyril. “Miss Nia.” His voice returned to normal and he grinned at Nia. “All go well with your advisor meeting?”

“Oh, yes, thanks,” Nia replied. “I should be all sorted out for classes on Monday.”

They made mostly pleasant conversation on the way to the concert, bottlenecking towards the entrance as students filed in. He was shoulder to shoulder with Rin as they shuffled forward, and gently placed his hand against the small of her back. She swallowed visibly when his hand touched her bare skin. “This okay?” He spoke quietly in her ear.

“More than okay,” she murmured back, grinning to herself.

Mal applied more pressure to her back, his pinky resting along the hem of her jeans. “Good to know.”

~

The hall was packed with students, along with a large performance stage. Music blared through the speakers amidst the hum of dozens of conversations happening all at once, and Mal and the rest of the group moved up as far as they could to secure a decent spot. He was about to ask Rin what she’d meant when she told him to look for her at the concert, when some of his residents noticed him and pulled him over to settle a debate.

Just as he was able to pull himself away from that discussion, several female underclassmen swarmed him to chat, and he sighed internally, channeling all the charm he could muster before trying to make his way back to Rin. The band had begun to warm up onstage, and the crowd surged forward in anticipation.

Before he could take his leave of the coeds surrounding him, the band began to play one of their songs, and his shoulders fell as he watched Rin dancing next to Tyril. His heart ached with jealousy when Tyril twirled her in place and he saw her smile; they were definitely suited for one another more than he was with Rin. Tyril was taller, and arguably graceful on his feet.

For the rest of the show, Mal found himself taking steps away from Rin, watching her from afar as she danced with Tyril, Imtura, and Nia. His mood turned sour, even though he gave in to a few pleading looks from ladies that wanted to dance with him, keeping a friendly but respectful distance between his partners.

Roughly an hour and a half into the concert, Mal made his way through sweaty bodies to grab a bottle of water from one of the drink stations on either side of the hall. After emptying the contents, he flicked his wrist to shoot it into a trash bin. He contemplated leaving early to avoid another bottlenecking situation at the doors, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Where have you been all night?”

He turned around to see Rin standing before him, pulling her hair up and twisting it into a bun. “You looked like you were having fun with your friends.”

“They’re your friends too,” she replied, gently checking him with her hip as she finished tying up her hair. “Dance with me?”

Mal tilted his head to one side sympathetically. “I’m get—”

“Dance with me, please?” she repeated, taking hold of his hand. “Right here, if you want.”

Mal sighed, looking on at her. Her cheeks were flushed with color from moving around, and there was a thin sheen of sweat across her face from dancing in the crowd. He thought she looked beautiful. “I can’t twirl you like your boy Tyril does,” he scoffed. He squeezed her hand and started walking with her, back towards the crowd.

“I don’t want you to twirl me like he does.” She weaved through the crowd to a different spot, away from the group, swaying her shoulders and bobbing her head along to the beat. Glancing over her shoulder to Mal, she winked at him before taking his hands in hers, and placed them on her hips.

Mal matched her movements, hips swaying and shoulders rocking. She circled her hips and pressed her backside against him, and he swallowed thickly, digging his fingers into her sides. She spun around in place to face him, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, and looked into his eyes. He smirked mischievously at her, holding her hips firmly against his own, and she parted her legs to grind against his thigh.

Rin dug her nails across his shoulders as they moved, closing the space between them with her body. She let out a breathy whimper into his ear, whispering a “fuck” that sent his nerves alight.

“You alright there?” He steadied his hands on her hips, concern washing over his face as he pulled away to look at her. “You’re not going to pass out on me, are you?”

Rin shook her head back and forth. “Nope, I’m good, I’m good.” She offered a tiny, nervous smile, which perplexed Mal. He’d never seen her look so nervous around him before. They started swaying their hips to the beat again, and Mal wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her close. She pressed her chest against his, swaying along to the song, and pressed her cheek within a hair’s breadth from his face. A second or two passed before she uttered another “fuck” into his ear, and Mal fought the urge to grin. He felt the puff air against his neck when she breathed out through her nose.

“Rin?”

She pulled away from him abruptly, blinking for several beats, before taking hold of his hand. “You and I should leave. Now.”

“Now?”

“Right now.” He let her lead him out of the crowd and out of the building.

The cool night air was a welcome reprieve to their damp skin. He tilted his head up to the night sky, enjoying the way the air made his skin tingle, until he stumbled against the brick walkway and Rin tugged on his hand. “Hey,” he called to her, pulling her back to pause under one of the lamp posts. Rin stopped and allowed him to lead her backwards so she was pressed against the post. She let out a surprised gasp at the feel of the cool metal along her back, and Mal tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Where are we off to, in such a hurry?” His fingers trailed down the side of her neck, his gaze on how green her eyes looked under the glow of the lamp, and how tempting her lips looked as they curled into a grin.

“You’re taking me to your room,” she answered, biting one side of her bottom lip. “Unless you’d like to make ou—whoa!” Rin laughed as Mal grabbed hold of her hand and began running towards his dorm.


End file.
